Use Me

It’s been a busy couple of weeks. I’ve wanted to write, but it’s felt like my senses are on overload. God has been showing me so many things. I’ve been so aware lately of the people God uses and how he uses them.

Exhibit A: Matthew chapter 1 – the lineage of Jesus. I heard a speaker at Women of Faith speak on this chapter. Her point was that Jesus, by nature shook up the status quo. Evidence of that is seen in Matthew 1, where women are acknowledged at all in Jesus’ lineage, since it is (or maybe was, I’m not sure) Jewish custom to follow family lines by the male and not mention the females at all.

So, we have an attention grabber just by the simple fact Matthew identified four women in the first five verses. But what’s more – is who these women are. Rahab was a hooker. Before she joined the Jewish people, Rahab hid Israelite spies in her home as they prepared to invade her city. Once she joined the Jewish people, she married Salmon (yes, Salmon, I read it twice too) and together they had Boaz. Boaz married Ruth.  We all know and love Ruth. Her story is the story of dedication. Her story is where my favorite marriage verse is found...

“But Ruth replied, "Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me.””  – Ruth 1: 16-17

But Ruth, was a Moabite. That means little to nothing to us now…but back in the day, when Matthew was recounting Jesus’ family tree, the audience would have recognized this fact. Moab was the son born to Lot and his eldest daughter when, after fleeing God’s destruction of Sodom and believing they were the only people left she seduced him. The Moabites were a people who came from an act of incest and Matthew’s audience knew this.

Ruth’s great grandson, was King David. David had a relationship with Bathsheba, who was married at the time to Uriah. Together, David and Bathsheba had Solomon…and 24 generations later came Joseph – husband to Mary, mother of Jesus.

Exhibit B: In Community Bible Study, we’re reading the book of Acts. This week, we learned more about the city of Antioch (Acts 11: 19 – 12:25), among other things. With a population of approximately a half million people, Antioch was the third largest city in the Roman Empire. It was also known for being the most crooked and corrupt city in the Empire. It was 300 miles north of Jerusalem and near enough to Tarsus that Paul was referred to by his pre-Christian name, Saul. It was in this city that we – Christians – first got our name. Prior to the Gospel reaching Antioch, Christians as a group were nameless. But the pagan believers in that city labeled Christians by the God they worshiped. Pagans provided the name we identify with our faith some 2000 years later!

So lately it’s been kind of hard for me to feel unworthy of being used by God. He uses prostitutes and He uses people from the wrong “class”. He uses entire cities known for sinfulness, for crying out loud. He can certainly use me.

It’s kind of a scary thought! :)

Love y'all,
~M~